Capitol Auto Group President, Scott Casebeer, kicked the event off by thanking his staff and recognizing the impact they have had on the success of the Subaru dealership.

“The most important part of this is our employees,” he said. “They’ve heard me say this 1000 times, that our employees are #1. We were at capacity in our current facility and our employees were doing the best they could to make do with the space we’ve got. They are so excited about 70,000 sq. feet of Subaru facility.”

The success of Capitol Subaru locally and the popularity of the brand worldwide is what has allowed Capitol Subaru to expand. Subaru has been consistently named by Kelley Blue Book as the best overall brand and most trusted brand. The American Customer Satisfaction Index ranks Subaru first in safety and dependability.

Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett thanked the Casebeers for their investment in the area. “This will be a tremendous addition to the business community,” he said. “What is really important is Capitol’s ongoing commitment to our community. They are tremendous leaders in the Willamette Valley and a great supporter of Salem-Keizer. The generosity of Capitol Auto Group has benefited the United Way, the Boys and Girls Club, and Marion-Polk Food Share, just to name a few.”

Subaru General Manager Alex Casebeer said Subaru is one of the fastest growing brands and the Subaru Outback is the #1 sold car in the State of Oregon. He noted that, interestingly enough, the project is being supported by Toyota Financial Services. They funded the initial Capitol campus development 10 years ago.

“This store is so involved with the community,” said Brian Moscatelli, zone director of Subaru of America. “They are always looking to invest back. This investment is pointed at the Capitol Subaru customer and the Capitol Subaru employee. This groundbreaking on this all-new, state-of-the-art Subaru facility is going to deliver an extraordinary customer experience going forward.”

The facility will be designed by Salem’s Carlson Veit architects and built by C.D. Redding Construction. The project represents an investment of $18 – $20 million. Other features of the building will include a fenced dog park, event pavilion, food carts, walking trails, indoor/outdoor fireplace and a living green wall inside. Estimated completion date is end of 2020.

Upon leaving each guest was given a fir tree seedling to plant to emphasize the theme of the project: Watch us grow.

About Capitol Auto Group and Capitol Subaru: Capitol Auto Group is owned by Scott Casebeer and has served the greater Salem area for more than 90 years. Capitol Subaru is currently located at 3235 Cherry Ave. NE, and will move to 910 Auto Group Avenue upon completion of the new facility. They received the 2018 Subaru Community Commitment Award and the 2018 Subaru Customer Commitment Award. Automotive News placed Capitol Subaru in its top 100 Companies to Work For in 2018. www.CapitolAuto.com.

About Subaru of America, Inc.: Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $120 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours.